FreeLap Timing Blog

Flying 30m sprints are one of the best ways to measure max velocity — but only if your timing method is accurate. Stopwatches bring too much human error, lasers can misfire, and photo-finish is out of reach for everyday use. This article breaks down the options and explains why consistency, not perfection, is the key to timing flying 30s that coaches and athletes can actually trust.

The first 10 metres tell you almost everything about an athlete’s acceleration. But how do you measure it accurately? Stopwatches are inconsistent, lasers can misfire, and photo-finish is out of reach for daily practice. This article breaks down the pros and cons of each method and explains why consistency — not perfection — is the key to timing 10m splits coaches can actually trust.

Coaches already have enough to manage without stopwatches and messy setups slowing them down. In this article, we break down five practical ways to train smarter, not harder: quick setup, real-time feedback, athlete self-testing, reliable data, and scalable timing for full teams. The result? Less time wasted on logistics and more time coaching athletes.

Stopwatches are inconsistent, lasers can give false triggers, and photo-finish systems aren’t practical for daily training. Here’s why Freelap’s center-of-mass timing gives coaches and athletes consistent results that actually mean something.